Daniel Gallemore’s quest to become fifth Kansas fighter to make UFC

Daniel Gallemore’s quest to become fifth Kansas fighter to make UFC

Victory Fighting Championships heavyweight champion Daniel Gallemore (5-3) is on a quest. His mission is to successfully defend his title at VFC 55 and make his claim as the fifth mixed martial artist from the great state of Kansas to make it to the UFC.

Daniel Gallemore’s quest to become fifth Kansas fighter to make UFC

Raised in Eskridge, Kansas, Gallemore, aptly nicknamed “Big Kansas,” attended Mission Valley High School, and competed in wrestling and football before turning to mixed martial arts.

Before he makes the leap to the organization that most every mixed martial artist dreams about fighting for, Gallemore must first get through Derek Bohi at VFC 55 on December 23.

It was back in May that Gallemore defeated Abe Wagner to claim the VFC heavyweight title via first round guillotine choke submission. It was Gallemore’s fifth professional MMA victory. Before turning pro ‘Big Kansas’ compiled an amateur record of 15-3 and won the ISCF Amateur Championship before turning professional in 2011.

Gallemore is also an undefeated professional boxer with a record of 5-0-0, with two wins coming by way of knockout.

Why So Few From Kansas Make It To The Big Show

“I think part of the reason there’s so few from Kansas is the lack of population,” Gallemore said.

“Lots of guys end up stuck on farms or continuing their family’s traditions. There are not any super camps in Kansas, but there’s plenty of smaller gyms. Lots of fighters have come through Kansas from wrestling but not very many of us corn fed country boys make it out of regional promotions for various reasons,” the champion said.

Other Fighters From Kansas to Make UFC

Gallemore would join the likes of four other fighters from Kansas to get the call to the UFC.

Tim Elliott – Of the four, Tim Elliott is probably the most recognizable, not only because he had the longest run of the foursome in the UFC, but also because he is currently competing on this season of The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions. Elliott was born in Wichita. He first appeared in the UFC back in 2012 but was let go after falling 2-4 inside the octagon. Elliott then went on to Titan FC where he won the organization’s flyweight title.

Curtis Stout – The casual mixed martial arts fan may not remember Curtis Stout as both of his fights inside the UFC octagon came before the organization went mainstream. Stout first appeared at UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. That night Stout would lose a unanimous decision to the ‘New York Badass’ Phil Baroni. It wasn’t until more than three years later that Stout resurfaced in the organization, at UFC 48, where he was submitted via neck crank to Trevor Prangley. Those two UFC losses should not define the fighter however, as Stout fought some of the biggest names in the business to include Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, David Loiseau, Andrei Semenov, and others. Stout is a Kansas City, Kansas native.

Jake Lindsey – Manhattan, Kansas native Jake Lindsey had three fights with the UFC beginning at UFC Fight Night 42 where he lost via submission to Jonathan Tuck. His second fight would be against Olivier Aubin-Mercier where he would once again lose via submission, and then via TKO at UFC 185 against Joe Duffy. Since leaving the UFC, Lindsey has won two more fights, losing only once under the Victory FC banner.

Rob Kimmons – Kimmons made his debut defeating Rob Yundt on the undercard of TUF 7 Finale back in June 2008. Kimmons submitted Yundt with a guillotine choke in round one. Kimmons would get two more wins with the UFC to include victories over Joe VeDepo and Steve Steinbeiss, however he would fall short against Dan Miller, Jorge Rivera, Kyle Noke, and Dongi Yang.

‘Big Kansas’ Daniel Gallemore defends his title on Dec 23rd in Topeka at the Kansas Expocenter. Tickets are available at Cagetix.com/VFC.

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